Our house

Theatre collaboration between Hamm and Kigali – Funded by the TURN Fund

“Our House” was a joint project by the HELIOS Theater in Hamm and the Ishyo Arts Centre in Kigali to develop a theatre piece for children and adults on the subject of memory.

The ensemble began by conducting research in Hamm and Kigali. They visited genocide memorials in Rwanda and Shoah memorial sites in Germany, and investigated vacant buildings in both countries which still contained traces of those whose stories have long passed from memory. In three rehearsal phases in Kigali und Hamm, the five performers, musicians and two stage directors from both theatres came together to tell stories about houses – dwellings which have been abandoned or destroyed, which no longer provided a home or refuge. By way of philosophical poems, they compiled these personal tales to create a story of what it means to be human. The aim was to get children and adults interested in the history of both countries and encourage dialogue between generations.

Following performances in Hamm and Kigali, the production went on tour through Africa and Europe in 2017. In May 2017, it was invited to the ASSITEJ World Congress and International Theatre Festival in Cape Town.

Artistic directors: Carole Karemera (RW) and Barbara Kölling (DE)
Composers: Roman D. Metzner (DE), Hervé Twahirwa (RW)
Text: Steffen Moor (DE) and ensemble
Performance artists: Eliane Umuhire (RW), Helena Aljona Kühn (DE), Hervé Kimenyi (RW), Marko Werner (DE), Michael Lurse (DE)
Live music: Hervé Twahirwa (RW)

TURN – Fund for Artistic Cooperation between Germany and African Countries

In 2012, the Federal Cultural Foundation established the TURN – Fund for Artistic Cooperation between Germany and African Countries in order to encourage a wide range of German institutions to shift their focus on the artistic production and cultural debates in African countries.

More about the TURN Fund (opens in a new window)

Rehearsal Reports

The rehearsal reports on the Helios Theater website provide insights into the development of the play.

Read more (external link, opens in a new window)

Events

No upcoming events at present

Previous events

  • 17 September, 2016 to 21 September, 2016: Theatre project

    Helios Theater, Hamm

Contact

HELIOS Theater

Willy Brandt Platz 1d
59065 Hamm

www.helios-theater.de (external link, opens in a new window)